Door closing device



Oct. 18, 1932. J. H. VON 'GARTZEN noon CLOSING mavxcm Filed May 12, 1930 INVENTOR ATTORNEYS Patented Oct. 18, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE JOSEPH HENRY VON GABTZEN, OF GRESTON, IOWA, ASSIGNOB OF FORT'Y-NINE ONE-IIUNDREDTHS T LEONARD W. EAGAN, OF CRESTON, IOWA DOOR CLOSING DEVICE Application filed May 12,

My invention relates to improvements in door closing devices, and it consists in the combinations, constructions, and arrangements herein described and claimed.

An object of my invention is to provide a door closing device particularly adapted to be associated with doors such as are used in connection with railway cars, baggage, express, and mail cars, and in which novel means is provided whereby the doors may be eas1ly moved to a closed position.

A further object is to provide a device of the type described in which means is provided whereby a door may be effectively moved to a weathertight closed condition.

A further object is to provide a device of the type described which is adapted to be easily applied to standard door constructions.

Other objects and advantages will appear in the following specification, and the novel features of the invention will be particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, forming part of this application, in which Figure 1 is an elevation of a portion of a car door and a portion of a car, showing my invention applied thereto,

Figure 2 is an elevation taken at right angles to the structure shown in Figure 1,

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken along the line 33 of Figure 1, and

Figure 4 is an elevation showing the relative positions and the various parts of my device when a door has been moved to its closed position.

In carrying out my invention, I make use of a door 1 which is preferably of the sliding type, and of a type such as is used in connection with railway cars. It will be understood, of course, that while I show my invention in connection with a railway car door structure, the invention is equally well applicable to other door constructions, which of course is 1930. Serial N0. 451,764.

intended to be within the scope of the invention. In Figures 1 and 2 I have shown a portion 2 of a car wall having an opening 3 therein. The edge of the opening 3 is provided with a strip 1. The edge 5 of the door 1 is intended to be moved snugly adjacent the edge of the opening 3 when it is properly closed.

A plate 6 is secured to the door in any suitable manner as by means of screws or bolts 7. The plate 6 is provided with a handle 8 having a head 9 pivotally mounted at 10 upon the plate. It will be noted that the head is pivotally mounted ofl' center so that the head, in a sense, functions as a cam. The plate is also provided with a hook member 11 pivotally mounted at 12 upon the plate. The hook member comprises in part a pair of jaws 13 and 14. One edge of the jaw 13 may be provided with a toothed or irregular surface 15. The handle or lever 8 is operatively connected with the hook member 11 through the medium of a connecting member 16. The latter is pivotally connected with the head 9 as at 17. In referring to Figure 3, it will be noted that the member 16 is provided with an engaging portion 18 which is arranged at right angles to the main portion of the element. The portion 18 is disposed adjacent the underneath side of the hook member 11. In other words, the member 16 supports the hook member, and movement of the handle 8 will, of course, cause a relative movement of the hook member.

Means for coacting with the jaw 13 for moving the door to a closed position consists in the provision of a pin 19 which is secured to the strip 4. The longitudinal axis of the pin 19 is positioned at right angles to the hook member 11. The pin is supported by means of a body portion 20 which may be socured to the strip 1 by any suitable means such as bolts or screws 21, see Figure 2.

In operation, movement of the handle 8 in the direction of an arrow 22 will cause the hook member 11 to be lifted away from the pin 19. The construction is such that the handle will remain in its shifted position, at which time the door 1 may be moved to an open position. The door, when it is to be closed, is moved as closely as possible to its final position, at which timethe jaw 13 is so aligned that when the handle 8 is moved in the direction of an arrow 23, the ed e 15 will engage the pin. The edge is inclined so that movement of the handle 8 in the direction of the arrow 23 will cause the door to be moved snugly against the edge of the opening 3. An advantageous leverage is attained by reason of the head construction 9. -Further thanthis, the edge 15 is inclined so that an enormous pull is exerted upon the door 1 when the handle is manipulated for moving'the'jaw relatively to the pin 19. A furtherimportant feature in connection with my invention is the fact that the edge 15 is constructed in such a manner that when the door 1 has been moved to its closed position, the door may be supported in this position until the handle is -:moved in the opposite direction.

In Figure 4 I have shown the hook member as being moved so that the pin 19 is disposed within the bottom of the recess between the jaws 13 and 14. The alignment, however,

should be such that if the hook member cannot be moved its maximum distance in the direction of the pin 19, the hook member will, nevertheless, move the door and hold it in a closed position.

I claim:

1. A door latch comprising a supporting base, latch means movably carried by the base for operative engagement wit-h an engagement member, and means operatively connected with said latch means whereby the same may be moved into engagement with the engagement member, said means operatively connected to said latch means having an extending handle portion and being pivotally secured to said base in a manner whereby the handle portion acts as a weighted lever arm to hold the latch means up and out of engagement with the engagement member when the latch means has been lifted out of engagement with the engagement member.

2. A door latch comprisin a supporting base, a latch means movably carried by the base for operative engagement with an engagment member, and means operatively connected with said latch means whereby the same may be moved into engagement with the engagement member, said meansoperatively connected to said latch means having an extending handle portion and being'pivotally secured to said base above said latch means in a manner whereby the handle portion acts as a weighted lever arm to hold the latch means .up and out of engagement with the engagement member when the latch means has been lifted out of engagement with the engagement member.

3. A door latch comprising a supporting base, a latch means movably carried by the base for operative engagement with an engagement member, and means operatively connected with said latch means whereby the same may be moved into engagement with the engagement member, said means operatively connected to said latch means having an extending handle portion and being pivotally secured to said base in a manner whereby the handle portion acts as a weighted lever arm to hold the latch means up and out of engagement with the engagement member when the latch means has been lifted out of engagement with the engagement member, and tohold said latch means in engagement with the engagement member when the latch means has been moved into engagement with the engagement member.

4. A door latch comprising a supporting base, a latch means movably carried by the base for operative engagement with an engagement member, and means operatively connected with said latch means whereby the same may be moved into engagement with the engagement member, said means operatively connected to said latch means having an eX- tending handle portion and being pivotally secured to said base above said latch means in a manner whereby the handle portion acts as a weighted lever arm to hold the latch means up and out of engagement with the engagement member when the latch means has been lifted out of engagement with the engagement member, and to hold said latch means in engagement with the engagement member when the latch means has been moved into engagement with the engagement member.

5. The door latch combination of a supporting base, a latch means pivotally carried by the base for operative engagement with a relatively stationary engagement member, and means operatively connected with said latch means whereby the same may be moved into engagement with the engagement memher, said means operatively connected with the latch means having an extending handle portion and being pivotally secured to said operatively connecting said lever means and said latch means whereby said latch means is angularly moved when the lever means is angularly moved on the plate, said lever means and said link bar means being pivotally secured above said latch means in a manner whereby the lever means acts as a lever weight to hold the latch means up and out of engagement with the engagement member when the latch means has been lifted out of engagement with the engagement member.

Signed at Creston in the count of Union and State of Iowa this 5 day of ay, A. D. 1930.

JOSEPH HENRY VON GARTZEN. 

